After months of preparation, harvest is the time of year when all of your hard work finally pays off. But if you want to maximise your profits, you need to be able to adapt to the conditions and make decisions on the fly.

Time is money. And when times are tough, you can’t afford to leave anything out in the paddock. That’s why it’s important to ensure you’re using the right tools for the job.

Precision pays, that’s why John Deere is changing the game with the new S700 Series Combines and a suite of inbuilt technology and applications, which will guarantee you reap exactly what you sew.

All four combines in the S700 Series come fitted with the integrated 4600 Command Centre display, so you can easily share information between different machines when you’re on the go. They also come standard with the industry-exclusive ProDrive™ system, which uses PowerShift™ transmission technology to automatically shift between two speed ranges. This allows the combine to factor in changes in terrain and ground conditions in real time, allowing you to maintain your desired ground speed without interruption. The Dyna-Flow™ plus cleaning shoe also has a longer bottom sieve, which allows grain to get away faster.

One of the most revolutionary features of the S700 Series is the intuitive software included in the CombineAdvisor™ package.

The suite of inbuilt technologies will help you get the best possible performance out of your machinery by ensuring it is operating at peak conditions for longer periods of time. It takes the guess work out of harvesting.

Rather than mucking around for hours on end getting your settings right, the Integrated Combine Adjustment Wizard can get you under way in just minutes.

When you pull up in the field, the wizard automatically recommends settings for the type of crop you’re harvesting. You can even let it know what condition the straw is in as well as the overhead conditions and it will factor them into it’s recommendation, making slight adjustments if need be.

If you’re unhappy with an element of operation you can also let the wizard know and it will quickly come up with the adjustments needed to rectify the issue.

HarvestSmart™ is another remarkable feature of the CombineAdvisor™ package. It controls the forward speed of the combine by monitoring the pressure on the rotor. It also keeps track of the data from the loss sensors over the back of the rotor and the sieve and adjusts itself accordingly. This guarantees you’re not losing half your load in wastage.

While this might not be a new feature, it has been refined for the S700 Series. Unlike previous incarnations, the new HarvestSmart™ won’t allow the combine to take off quite so quickly when you’re entering periods of lighter yielding crops. It’s also a lot smoother when you’re unloading on the go.

The S700 Series also helps to tackle one of the most frustrating but age old problems when harvesting, how to avoid losing some of your load when working in rough or uneven ground. Active Terrain Adjustment™ automatically alters the speed of the cleaning fan and opens and shuts the top and bottom sieves when you’re operating on a slope of more than two degrees.

Two other nifty pieces of software are ActiveVision™ and ActiveYield™. When used in tandem they have the capacity to save you a lot of money across the season.

ActiveVision™ cameras on the tailing and grain elevators allow you to do far more than simply monitor the process in real time, they also analyse the footage and act intuitively. For example, if the cameras detect some cracked grain in the sample, the combine will automatically start to make adjustments to reduce the issue.

ActiveYield™ on the other hand is a great time saver and ensures you are working with the best possible data. Not only does it reduce calibration time it also measures the known quantity and cross references it with the records from the mass flow sensor. It does this for every bin full. So you can rest assured that the data you rely on to make financial decisions is accurate.

The S700 Series has also raised the bar on comfort. One of the hardest parts of harvesting is being stuck in the cab for hours on end. Well not any more. All four models are fitted with a redesigned CommandARM™ and a newly designed hydro-handle, which fits comfortably in the hand and allows you to reprogram some of the buttons.

The swivel seat allows you to easily to turn 7.5 degrees to the right and 14 degrees to the left. This makes it easier to check what’s happening in the bins and unload on the go quicker. The cab also has foot pegs for maximum comfort.

As a producer, you can’t afford not to get the most out of both your crops and machinery. So make the smart choice. And remember, precision pays. A short term investment in top of the line equipment will pay dividends into the future.